Chester Picks

Chester, 'The Roodee' as the circular track is known for races from May through to September with around 14 race days.  

Type of Racing: Flat racing only.

Highlights: The main meeting at Chester is The Boodles May Festival which features all the Group races and one of the richest flat handicaps of the season, the Chester Cup. 

The track has one Group 2 race in the shape of the Huxley Stakes, horses from the Huxley then normally run at Royal Ascot the following month. The race is worth around £70,000 and attracts runners from the cream of the training fraternity, Aidan O'Brien, Sir Michael Stoute, John Gosden, etc.

There are two Group 3 races the Chester Vase and Ormonde Stakes and a host of Listed races, the Chester Vase is considered to be a Derby trial for Epsom as the sharp bends and turning nature of the track can be a guide to a horse handling the similar scenario Epsom presents. The Listed Cheshire Oaks, the above applies to the fillies potentially heading for the Oaks at Epsom.

* All statistics below are based on the previous five years at Chester

Chester Outright Favorite Statistics

• Flat Handicaps: 89-274 (32%) -5.71
• Flat Non-Handicaps: 27-76 (36%) -16.71

Flat: Left-handed tight track that is incredibly sharp, the majority of the full circuit consists of bends.

Chester Racetrack Address: The Racecourse, Chester, CH1 2LY

Chester Racetrack Telephone: 01244 304600

The races are on the turn seemingly the whole way with the course only a mile in circumference. It can be hard to make up ground and catch front runners over 5 furlongs, the short straight of only just over a furlong is very short.

Jockeys drawn on the inside know they have a big advantage and try and maximize their draw by getting out quickly and securing a rail position, but they still have to get the fractions right dictating the pace. Races with more runners would show that higher numbers have even more of a disadvantage.

However, one word of caution a jockey drawn wide would in many cases take action to negate the draw with a very positive ride. The bookies know about the draw, so if a wide-drawn horse is in the top 3 of the betting then undertake some more form study of that wide-drawn horse.

If you are interested in predictions from elsewhere today then head over to the main racing tips page to see which runners are being most tipped.

When breaking Chester down into trips you can look at which stall and trip combination has produced the best LSP, that would be stall 2 over a trip of 6f which has, over the last five years produced an LSP of +30.60. When breaking Chester down into trips you can look at which stall and trip combination has produced the worst LSP, that would be stall 5 over a trip of 7½f which has, over the last five years produced an LSP of -64.00.

Here we have the draw bias for Chester taken into consideration races with ten or more runners, we will break down the figures by race distance, draws can be much more important over the shorter trips in which runners do not have time to find their position during the race meaning the draw is probably more important than the races over longer distances.

• Sprints (5f to 7½f)
• Middle Distance (1m2f to 1m5½f)

The following table shows a breakdown over a group of trips and shows how each position of the draw does, for example in a twelve-runner race would be Low (Stalls 1-4), Mid (Stalls 5-8) and High (Stalls 9-12), the positions will always be lowest stall number to highest.

Who are the best flat jockeys and trainers to bet on at Chester?

Following Hugo Palmer would have returned a profit here at Chester with an LSP of +28.04 and their twenty winners have them at the head of the profitable trainers' list. A M Balding does lead the trainers' list overall with thirty-six winners but shows an overall loss. If you are more of an eachway player then you may want to know which trainer is best to follow at Chester and that would be Miss J A Camacho who shows the best eachway LSP which is +21.52 thanks to their eleven placings (six winners). A total of zero winners from seventy-one runners at Chester has Mrs L Williamson at the wrong end of the trainers' list with their 0% strike rate and worst LSP of -71.00.

When looking at profitable jockeys only, then it is Jason Hart who leads the way with a total of sixteen winners producing an LSP of +18.00 whilst Francis Norton leads the overall list with twenty-five winners but shows a loss overall. When looking at jockeys and looking for some eachway value at Chester, the jockey who shows the best eachway profit is Tom Eaves, whose LSP is +21.03 which has been accumulated by a total of thirteen placings which includes five winners. The jockey with the worst record at Chester based on LSP is G Lee who has only a 0% strike rate with zero winners from forty-three rides which have returned an LSP of -43.00.

Chester Picks & Hints

Here are some factors at Chester for certain trainers or jockeys which have been profitable:

• 6-9 (67%) +32.13 - Backing Harry Bentley rides when over a trip of 1m2½f
• 9-18 (50%) +27.76 - Backing Harry Bentley rides when in a Handicap race
• 8-15 (53%) +18.56 - Backing A P O'Brien runners when horses are aged 3yo
• 10-20 (50%) +16.97 - Backing A P O'Brien runners when in a Non-Handicap race
• 5-10 (50%) +17.58 - Backing Joe Fanning rides when on horses aged 3yo

Chester Top Jockey and Trainer Combinations

Here are the best trainer and jockey combinations here at Chester based on the number of winners:

• 13 Wins: A M Balding & David Probert
• 13 Wins: Tom Dascombe & Richard Kingscote
• 12 Wins: M Johnston & Francis Norton
• 11 Wins: A P O'Brien & Ryan Moore
• 7 Wins: R A Fahey & Paul Hanagan

Chester Top Trainers By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit

Chester Top Jockeys By Most Winners and a Level Stakes Profit